Garry Pastore
Independent Film Quarterly recently sat down with director/producer/actor Garry Pastore as he discussed independent film, overcoming obstacles, Hudson Film Group and the making of his latest award-winning documentary WAITING FOR…BUDD. WAITING FOR…BUDD, directed and produced by Pastore, is the last live performance for Budd Schulberg of “On The Waterfront” and how it almost wasn’t. The documentary stars Vincent Pastore, Al Sapienza, Robert Funaro, Jason Cerbone, Robin Paul, Louis Vanaria and Garry Pastore. The documentary garnered two awards at the New York International Film Festival, including Best Documentary and Best Director of a Short Documentary, which is rare for a directorial debut. That being said, Pastore is guaranteed to influence, shape and leave a lasting impression on independent cinema.
IFQ: What inspired you to produce and direct WAITING FOR…BUDD?
Garry Pastore: We produced “On the Waterfront” as a staged reading with The New Artist’s Theater Company with Frank Licato as the director, in Hoboken last summer. I thought capturing some of the footage of the rehearsal and performances would be neat. This is a tough question to answer because I never really considered making a documentary about the project as a whole; it was never planned. BUDD SCHULBERG attending the night of the last performance during a savage storm, combined with the producers coming within minutes of cancelling the event and his passing a week later, really put the gears in motion. In retrospect, this film was thrown together with the intention to show audiences what obstacles the director, producers and actors went through to perform this historical event and just how serendipitous it was as a whole experience.
IFQ: Why did you choose to independently create and produce your feature film directorial debut WAITING FOR…BUDD?
GP: Deborah Mello and I started Hudson Film Group with the intention of making independent films. We never thought this film would be first up, but the opportunity was there so we seized the moment and went with it. As far as being my directorial debut, it really wasn’t planned and I am elated that I did it.
IFQ: What obstacles did you face while putting this project together? Any memorable on-set stories?
GP: No real obstacles. My partner Deborah was ill during the whole production of the film so it was difficult not to be able to get her input which I need quite frequently. She is my better half when it comes to making decisions and it was difficult not to have her there 100%. The reason our company will have great success is because we make up a strong team. That being said, it was very difficult to make this film without her. What saved us is, we had a great DP, Fokke Baarssen who hails from the Netherlands and he was indeed instrumental to the wonderful cinematography and the editing of this film. To be perfectly honest, if he was not there, it is doubtful that this film or the quality would have come to fruition. Again, in itself very serendipitous.
IFQ: How did you keep your spirits up when the storms hit and changed your locations and plans?
GP: I don’t ever recall in my life having so much pressure put on myself to make a decision on going forward with any one project. We received at the very least 50 maybe 75 phone calls in a 7 hour period on whether we were going forth with the performance that evening. But when we found out BUDD was in town we had no choice but to put the show on. I guess when it all calmed down and Budd Schulberg entered the auditorium and sat down, the whole day had new perspective. We were in fact Waiting for Budd.
IFQ: So how exactly did you feel when Budd Schulberg and the family finally showed up for the reading?
GP: Again, you must realize that this is never about you the cast, or the crew. It is about your audience whoever they may be. When the writer of such a magnificent piece comes to your play in grave health no less and hears his writing being spoken back to him, no words can describe the enormous pride you have to take in yourself. This makes us as actors, producers and directors want to continue to do what we do.
IFQ: How did you go about casting the film?
GP: Vincent Pastore was staying at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan and we had an all day casting session there. It was quite humorous at times and I only wish we had footage of that. In fact, that is when I spoke to Frank Licato and said, “We need to roll tape on this, it’s just too good!”
IFQ: How did you get Vincent Pastore, Al Sapienza, and Jason Cerbone on board? How was it working with them from a director’s point-of-view?
GP: Well, if it wasn’t for Vincent, we wouldn’t have had a play or a film. I have to give him kudos because he was the man who really put this all together. I believe that the actors that did work on this were excited to work with Vincent again and this piece really does speak for itself.
IFQ: Which directors influenced your directing style?
GP: Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, Quentin Tarantino, Guy Richie and Don Scardino.
IFQ: Can you tell us about Hudson Film Group?
GP: Deborah and I were involved in a production entity called WILLOWCREEK ENTERTAINMENT in the late nineties and we shut down after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. We spoke over the years. I continued to write, develop and work in the industry and we both decided to give our incredible working relationship another go and that’s when we formed Hudson Film Group in 2008. We own a total of 10 properties, including 2 television series.
IFQ: Since you company is independent, what’s your personal opinion on studio films vs. independent films?
GP: The nice thing about studio films is they pretty much deal with distribution and P&A costs. You also do not have the freedom to put what is on the page on the screen. Independently, I can shoot what I write, but the other side of the coin is you also need to raise money, find distribution and possibly put up your own P&A. It’s a double edged sword. Festivals are tough because coming from an independent world you need them to see your work and it better be good or you and others could be out quite a bit of money. Don’t make a film if you do not have an audience or a source of distribution, you may as well just throw it in a fireplace, same results, less headache!
IFQ: What advice do you have for directors trying to get their project green-lighted, not discriminating between projects aligned with a distributor or if it’s an independent project?
GP: Make sure it’s commercially viable and that they are targeting a niche market. Hudson Film Group targets the teen and young adult audiences because we realize that they in turn spend a lot of money going to films, renting and even watching them streamed on their computers and other devices. We want to be able to give our investors a return on their investment. I will not raise a dime if I do not have faith in the films I want to make. Animation is also obviously a great commercial market to get into. The costs are a great deal, but looking at past successes, if you have that kind of product, jump all the hurdles and by all means make it.
IFQ: Any upcoming projects?
GP: Yes, there is a ghost story I recently completed titled OUIJA based on true events. A gangster comedy titled JAMMED UP and a teen drama about gang violence titled WASTELAND. The latter I am very eager to make. Since writing it 10 years ago, 200,000 of our youths have died in gang-related violence, some as young as 3. The message is clear and I hope my film reinforces the message that it has to stop! Hudson Film Group would love to have all three in production within the year.